Shoe rack



Nov. 8, 1932.

SHOE RACK Filed Sept. 5. 1929 noonov: lah d. Kuo. e

\\\llll Patented Nov. 8, 17932 f Uni-iran gs'wrrss1 PATENT ortis `JOSEPH J. KNAPE, OF. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 KNAPE @o VOG'I MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION F MICHIGAN SHOE- RACKv lApplication filed September 3, 1929. Serial No. 390,130.

This invention relates to a rack particularly adapted for supporting shoes either Jfor display purposes or in the home, and

with which a large number of shoes may be supported side by side on the rack.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a simple economical constructed rack for holding shoes, said rack being secured to the side 'of a vertical support and when thus secured held rigid against movement. But for purposes of shipment it may be collapsed into small space so that it occupies acarton of little thickness thereby making it exceedingly convenient for sending the rack from the factory to customers who want the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack which consists of four parts only, in two pairs, there being a pair of bars yof identical construction and likewise a pair of ends identical in construction except that one is right and the other is left forthe two ends of the rack. This permits of very economical manufacture.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shoe rack applied to a vertical support, which may be a side of a door or wall or other equivalent supporting member.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through the construction shown in Fig. 1, with a shoe shown in dotted outline to indicate the manner in which shoes are carried on the rack.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the construction shown ,in rig. i.

each of which at one edge has an inturned flange 2 and at its outer edge is cut away to provide two spaced apart outwardly extending arms 3, which at their ends are bent for a short distance at right angles, as indicated at 4, and then formed-into two spaced apart eyes 5 separated by a slot 6, as best shown in Fig. 3. The eyes 5 are located one directly over the other.

Two bars 7 of flat metal are used to extend between respective arms 3 of the end members 1. Each of said bars at each end has portions cut away at both its upper and lower edges leaving a tongue 8 which is bent, as indicated at 9, to form an eye. The width of fthe tongue 8 from which this eye is made is slightly less than the width of the slot 6 between the eyes 5, so that the eyes on the ends of the arms 3 and at the ends of the bars 7 may be placed in alignment and receive the pintle or pivot pin 10 as shown in Fig. 3 whereby the end members and bars are vconnected together. The face of the tongue 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, abuts the arm 3 intermediate of its eyes 5 and thus governs their relative movement in one direction. The end members may be turned about the pivots 10 so as to lie flat against the bars and collapse the rack into small compass.

With the two bars 7 spaced a distance from and parallel to each other as shown, when thel end members are folded against the bars as described, the entire rack may be placed in a carton the length of which is but a little more than the length of the bars 7, whose width is slightly greater than the distance be'- tween the outer edges of the bars 7, and whose thickness is but little more than the width of the flanges 2, it being understood that said flanges come between the spaced apart bars 7 when the end members are folded flat thereagainst.

In attaching the rack to a vertical support, such as a door or a side of a wall, indicated at 11, the end members are turned so as to be positioned substantially at right angles to the bars 7. Screws are passed through the flanges 2 and into the support 11. The flanges 2 may be positioned at any angle with respectV to the planes of the bodies of the end members l and in practice the design is such that when the flanges are located in a vertical plane against the side of the vertical support 11, the upper bar 7 is located back of the lower bar whereby when shoes are placed upon the bars with the front edges of the heels against the upp-er edge of the upper bar they will occupy inclined positions, as indicated in dotted lines at 12 in Fig. 2, the soles of the shoes resting against the outer side of the lower bar.

In Fig. a modification in the construction is shown, in so far as the joint connection between the ends of the arms 3 and the ends of the bars 7 is concerned. In this construction the end of each arm 3 is turned inwardly at right angles providing a lip 13 which eX- tends in substantially the same direction as the flange 2 of the end member. At the bends between the terminal lips and the arms 3 vertical slots 14e are cut, each located partly in a lip 13 and partly at the end of an arm 3 as shown in Fig. 5. Each of the bars 7 near each end is notched at both its upper and lower edges making notches 15 beyond which the bars terminate in heads having upwardly and downwardly extending projections 16. The bars and the heads thereon are of a width such that the heads will pass through the slots 14E at the outer ends of the arms 3, and after passing therethrough, the ends of the bars are bent as indicated at 17 between the notches 15 to bring the head described against the outer sides of the arms 3.

The construction described, particularly that appearing in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is very practical and is economical to build, one which is rigid when secured to a support and folda-ble into the smallest possible compass for shipment when detached from its support. In the construction shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 the end members may be turned through substantially the full arc of a circle about the ends of the arms 7 so that the end members l may be positioned at right angles at the length of the bars 7 whether at one side thereof or the other. The invention is deiined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A rack of the class described comprising, two end members each formed from a single plate of sheet metal, and at one side having a plurality of spaced apart outwardly extending arms and at the other side being formed each with a flange turned at right angles to the body of the end member, and bars extending between the arms of said end members having aligned jointed connections at their ends to the ends of said arms, whereby the end members may be folded inwardly toward each other against said bars with said flanges located between the bars.

2. A rack of the class described comprising, two sheet metal end members, each having means at one side adapted for attaching the end members in spaced relation to a vertical support, and at the opposite side having a plurality of arms located in the same vertical planes and spaced from each other, each of said arms at its outer end being slotted between its upper and lower edges and formed into vertically aligned pivot receiving eyes, a plurality of bars located between the respective arms of said end members, each of said bars adjacent each end having parts cut away at both its upper and lower edges to form tongues, said tongues being bent into eyes adapted to enter the slots between the upper and lower eyes at the ends of said arms, an eye at the end of a bar and eyes at the end of an arm being located in Vertical alignment, and pivot pins extending through the aligned eyes, for the purposes described.

3. A shoe rack having two separate end members, a plurality of bars pivoted at either end to the end members, said pivot axes being in alignment at each of said end members and stop means to limit the pivotal movement between the bars and their respective end member in one direction.

fl. A rack of the character described comprising, two spaced end members having alined slots therethrough, and a bar notched at either end and adapted to have its notched portions resting in said slots in the respective end members, said bar being of such siZe as to pass through said slots but having its ends bent at right angles to prevent withdrawal from said slots.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JOSEPH J. KNAPE. 

